What happened to “Frida”, the rescue dog who helped in the 2017 19S earthquake

The September 19, 2017 remained engraved in the memory of Mexicans, as a magnitude 7.1 earthquake It struck Mexico City and caused collapses in several buildings in the country’s capital, including: Álvaro Obregón 286, the Enrique Rébsamen school and the Multifamiliar de Tlalpan.

However, despite the tragedy, there was one particular character who gained great relevance: Frida, nail rescue dog who, with slippers and goggles he entered the collapsed buildings trying to locate living people.

The yellow Labrador that was part of the Secretariat of the Mexican Navy (Semar) quickly won the hearts of Mexicans and even some Japanese who came to nickname it “Marina-Chan” for the Semar tag the dog wore in his uniform.

Frida collaborated in rescue efforts during the Haiti earthquake, a catastrophic earthquake in Ecuador in 2016, the explosion of the Pemex tower in 2013 and the earthquakes of September 9 and 17, 2017. The canine element was part of a squad of 270 dogs that have been trained to search and rescue people in disaster situations and areas.

In July 2018, a statue of Frida, in her Navy uniform, was unveiled in Puebla, as a symbol of all the rescue elements that participated in the last two earthquakes in Mexico. The then municipal president of the state capital, Tony Gali, unveiled it. But before this brief account, there is a question to answer: what happened to Frida?

It turns out that on June 24, 2019, at 10 years, 2 months and 12 days, the popular dog was part of a tribute that SEMAR authorities paid him on the International Day of Rescuers.

This day was moving for many, as the dog trainer, Israel Arauz Salinas, received the discharge document from Frida and the artillery colonel Javier Alberto Palazón, president of the Association of Military, Naval and Air Attachés of Mexico. . symbol that from that moment on she could enjoy a retirement life with a family that decided to adopt her.

But at the news that Frida could be adopted, all of Mexico exploded into euphoria, from residents to institutions who wanted the dog to be part of their family. For him Semar’s Social Communication Unit mentioned for The financier that the guard of the dog would be permanent by the canine control subgroup of the third section of the General staff of the Mexican navy.

“Everyone loved ‘Frida’. This was one of the main issues that led the dog to stay in the Canine unit.a, where she stays there, she is comfortable there, she receives adequate attention like other dogs and so we avoid any problems. This was going to generate a lot of controversy because of what the dog represents ”, detailed the institutional body in 2019.

Besides, Semar denied that rescue dogs upon retirement could accompany civilians and he pointed out that generally animals are adopted by naval personnel or remain in the canine unit.

“The determination that it is adopted by naval personnel is due to the ease they already knew about them. Usually the same owners or trainers (who look after the puppies). You have the certainty and confidence that they will give them the proper care and most importantly that the puppy will feel comfortable around them during the time they have spent working together, ”said Semar.

It was also mentioned that Frida’s diet would be changed to a more traditional dog diet and that her training method would be changed to “deconditioning”, which would involve the dog gradually leaving her Navy routines to get herself. devote only to eating, playing. and sleep like a traditional dog.

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